Maiden trips of KSRTC electric buses suffer a jolt

Thiruvananthapuram: Launched as a prestigious move by Kerala Government, the KSTRC electric buses have created more headaches in their maiden venture. In the maiden trip, two KSRTC electric buses running out of charge and forced to quit its journey midway. While one Thiruvananthapuram- Ernakulam AC electric bus broke down at Cherthala, another met with the same fate at Vyttila.

The first bus, which started its journey from Thampanoor to Ernakulam at 5 am, ended its trip near X-ray Junction at Cherthala after its batteries ran dry. The second bus had to stop service at Vyttila after it ran out of charge. The passengers had to board other KSRTC buses along the route to reach their destinations.

As per KSRTC’s earlier statement, once the e-bus is fully charged, it has a capacity to operate up to 250 km. While the corporation officers blamed the bus drivers for the incident, the employees blamed it on the lack of planning by the KSRTC prior to the launch of the much-hyped service.

After the Sabarimala special service, KSRTC launched its first e-bus long-distance services on Monday. A total of 10 buses were scheduled, including five trips from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam via Kollam and Alappuzha, and five return services.

Though officers claim there are four active charging stations, employees say the stations at Haripad and Ernakulam depots are still not ready.